Gas light signal apparatus



Aug. 18, 1931. G. DALEN ET AL GAS LIGHT SIGNAL APPARATUS Filed May 31, 1929 dummy Patented Aug. 18, 1931 umrsofsrarss PATENT OFFICE GUSTAFDALE'N AND nneusrnsnrnson, or sTooKHoLm, SWEDEN, Lssmnona T0 AMERICAN ease;cc lMHi-Arron comments, or ELIZABETH, NEW JERSEY, A

coaron-A'non orfnnw Jansen ,lGA Sj mess Assurances lgppllcationdiled ua aa sza Serial No. semen, aim in sweden February 1c, 1929.

Our invention relates to wgasl lightl signal apparatus audit hasbroadly for its object the provision of a novel apparatus of a character such that it will be particularly appli cable to and desirablefor use as signalling means indight houses, lightibuoys, light shipsandthe like E! l It also is an object of ourinvention to provide means wherebythe continued oper ation of lights to produce the required; signals may be assured our invention contem-i plating the provision of a plurality of means for supplying gas. eitherto aasingle burner or group of burners or: to a- .pluralitycf burners or to a plurality ofgroups'ofburners which is or are adapted,to constitutel a. single source of light If such arrangement; be

employed the signalling Ioperationwill con-.

tinue even though tjl'leeSllpply"Of gas from one of the sources of supply should fail, or

if a plurality of burners or 1 plurality of groups of burnersshould-be employed and one of the said burners or all of thebiu'ners of one of the groups of said burners should fail to function still the lights would-con tinue to operate to "furnish the signals/designed tobe furnished by the apparatus; 7 Another object of our invention is to pro vide means whereby a plurality of separate gas supply meansmay be caused to operate together and to function synchronously in the supplying of gust-o a bu rner onto a pluralityof burners or groilps' of burners;

Other objects and applications of our in vention, as Well as the detailsof construcand is a view which is partly diagrammatic and partly in vertical section of apparatus embodying our invention in the form wh ch is at present preferred by us.

As already indicated our invention comprehends the idea of supplying gas to a burn er or to aplurality of burners from plu rality of sources and m thedrawlng we have shown twodevioes, constituting sourcesjcf supply for delivering gas to the burner 1or burners, which devices we have designated respectively as a whole A and B; Devices of the general character of those designated A and B are commonly called flashers andfor the most part the construction of the said devices is quite similar to constructions well known in the prior art, one example of which may be seen by reference to United States Patent No.: 1,079,544, dated November 25,

, twill be observed that the devices A and Bare interconnected and that each is provided with means which is adapted to be influenced by a flow of gas from the'other.

It is such interconnection and the meansby which it is'rendered effective to which our inventionrelates. In the description we shall refer to the two devices A and B at the same time employing reference numerals with the exponents to refer to the parts of the device or flasher? A and the same numerals with theenponent b to reform the corresponding parts of the device orflasher B. The dc vices A and B respectively comprise casings 1 and 1 the open upper ends of which are closed by means of flexible diaphragms 2 and 2 secured in place by means of clamping rims. Bars 3 and 3* are supported'in the casings 1 and 1? upon the bottoms thereof. These bars are provided respectively at one of their ends with upright projections 4? and 4" which are provided with fulcrum pins 5? and 5* (there being two fulcrum pins pro vided upon each upright projecting portion 4 and 49) upon the pointed ends of which valve inembersd and 6 are pivoted. The swinging or movable ends of these valves are located between valve seats which are positioned in opposed relation to'each other as show'm thesaid valve seats being provided upon members supported upon one end of the respective bars 3 and 3. Each of the said valve seats is provided with an opening which is adapted to be closeda-nd opened by means of the valve members 6 and 6. Gas supply pipes 10 and 10" are provided for supplying gas to the interior of the casings 1 and 1". These pipes communicate with the inlet openings in the valve seats 11 and 11" respectively. The said gas supply pipes 10 In and 10 may have connection with the same source of gas supply under pressure, but preferably they are connected respectively with independent sources of gas supply un der pressure, which sources are not shown, and preferably'also the said supply pipes 10 and 10 should be provided with pressure reducing means for reducing the pressure of the'gas within the chambers of the casings 1 and 1". Gas outlet pipes 12 and 12 are provided for conveying or delivering gas from the chambers of the casings 1 and 1 The inner ends of these pipes are in communication with the outlet openings through the valve seats 13 and 13 In the drawing thevalve members 6 and 6 are shown in position closing the outlet openings through the valve seats 13 and 13 and when the valve members are in such positions obviously the gas will'fiow through the gas supply pipeslO and 10 into the chambers of the respective casings 1 and 1 It may be noted that the acti noof the springs 14 and 14 and 15 and 15 is such as to tend to cause the valve members 6 and 6 to remain in the closed positions in which they are shown in the drawing. The gas'enters the chambers of the casings 1 and 1 under pressure and its expansive pressure against the diaphragms 2 and 2 operates to raise the latter which, acting through the connections indicated as a whole at 16 and 16 tends to elevate the said valve members 6 and 6 and cause them to contact with the inlet valve seats 11 and 11 and close the same. WVhen this happens the flow of, gas into the chambers of the casings 1 and l is interrupted and flow of gas from the chambers through the outlet pipes 12 and. 12 permitted. The outer ends of these pipes are' branched, the branches 20 and 20 having connection respectively with the burners 21 and 21 through the branches 22 and 22 As the gas escapes from the casings of the chambers l and 1 the diaphragms 2 and 2 descend or move inwardly to permit movement of the valve members 6 and 6 back into positions to close the outlet openings into the outlet pipes 12 and 12 For the purpose of igniting the gas which flows from the burners 21 and 21' upon the opening of the outlet openingsin the outlet valve seats 13v and 18 we have provided pilot'burners 23 and 23 for the burners 21 and 21 'respectively. Only one pilot burner 23 and one'pilot burner 23 is shown but it will be understood that there are two pilot burners 239 and two pilot burners 23 in o er that a pilot burner may be provided for each of the two burners 2F and 21 Gas is supplied continuously through the branch pipes 25 froni-the gas supply pipe 10 to the pilot burners 23 and also is supplied continuously through the branch pipes 25 from the gas supply pipe 10 to the pilot burners 23". The pilot burners remain ignited continuously so that immediately upon the issue of gas from the burners 21 and 21 they are ignited.

The outlet pipes 12 and 12 are also connected to branch pipes and 30 which areconnected respectively to chambers 31 and 31 provided respectively upon the casings 1 and 1. The top sides of the chambers 31 and 31 are closed by means of flexible diaphragms 32 and 32 which are located directly underneath and in general parallel relation to the bottoms of the casings 1 and a 1". The bottoms of said casings are provided pipes 12 and 12 and from the latter through the pipes 30 and 30 into the respective chambers 31 and 31 The gas which enters these chambers expands and exerts pressure upon the diaphragms 32 and 32 to elevate the same and at the same time to elevate the rods 35* and 35". The elevation of these rods may operate to open one or the other of the valve members 6 and 6 in case the same shall not already have opened through the action of its diaphragm 2 or 2" acting through the connections between the same and the said valve. If it be assumed that the valve member (3 is opened by the action of the diaphragm 2, at a time or moment in advance of the open ing of the valve member 6 the latter will be immediately opened by the pressure of gas within the chamber 31 supplied from the outlet pipe 12 and the branch pipe 80. A like action would result in case the valve member 6* should be opened by the action of the diaphragm 2 at a time or moment in advance of the opening of the valve member 6 It will be apparent from the foregoing that we have provided means whereby the opening of the valve member in one of the casings is followed immediately by the opening of the valve member in the other of the casings in case it has not already been opened so that gas may be supplied simultaneously through or from both devices A and B to the burner or burners of the apparatus; and it also will be apparent that we have provided means whereby if one of the devices should fail to function to supply gas through the outlet pipe leading therefrom the other of the devices may function to furnish a supply of gas, thereby reducing to a minimum the possibility of the failure of the apparatus to function and supply the signal flashes of light for which the apparatus has been designed.

By increasing thenumber'of'devices like or similar to the devices A and B the possibility of a failure of the apparatus to function may be reduced still further.

In the drawing we have shown but one form of embodiment of our invention but it shouldbe understood that the same may be embodied in other forms of construction within the scope of the claims without departing from the said invention or from the principle thereof.

Having thus described our invention, what We claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. The combination with burner apparatus, of a plurality of separate means for supplying gas to said burner apparatus, and means in association with each of said separate means controlled by gas supplied from the other of said separate means for causing the practically simultaneous operation of the said plurality of separate means for supplying gas to said burner apparatus.

2. In combination, burner apparatus, a plurality of separate means for supplying gas to said burner apparatus,and means interconnecting said separate means for causing practically simultaneous operation of said separate means for supplying gas practically simultaneously from the said plurality of separate means to said burner apparatus.

3. In combination, a plurality of separate means adapted to supply gas periodically to one or more burners, each of said means including a movable valve, and safety means operatively associated with said valves, so that the operation of one valve causes the operation of the other valve.

4. The combination with a plurality of separate means adapted to supply gas toburner apparatus,-each of said means including a movable valve for opening and closing inlet and outlet ports, of means responsive to the pressure of gas in said separate means and operating upon the opening of the outlet port of one of said separate means for causing the operation of the valve of the other of said separate means to open the outlet port thereof.

5. In apparatus of the character described, the combination with a plurality of separate means adapted to supply gas to burner apparatus, each of said means including a movable valve and an outlet port adapted to be opened and closed by said valve, and means for conveying the gas passing throughsaid port to said burner apparatus, of pressure responsive meansfassociated withea ch separate burner apparatus, each of said means including a movable valve, a valve seat and means said respective means and constituting additional actuators for said valves, and means for supplymg gas under pressure from each of said separate means to the pressure-responsive means associated with the other of said separate means for causing movements of the said actuators.

8. In combination, a plurality of separate means adapted to supply gas periodically to burner apparatus, each of said means including a movable valve, safety means whereby the operation of one valve causes the operation of the other, said safety means including a chamber provided with a diaphragm, means extending between one of said valves and said diaphragm, and means effective upon the operation of the other valve for iupplying gas under pressure to said cham- 9. In combination, one or more gas burners, a plurality of separate and independent means for supplying gas to said burner or burners, each of said means including a valve for controlling the supply of gas to said burner or burners, separate means for actuating said valves to open the same, and means interconnecting the said separate and independent means for supplying gas from each of said separate and independent means to the valve actuating means of the other for opening said valves.

10. In combination, one or more gas burna ers, a plurality of flasher devices for supplying gas to the said burner or burners, valves for controlling the inlet and outlet of gas to and from the said devices, and connections between the said devices, the said connections 1 GUSTAF DALEN. s. AUG. ESKILSON. 

